Tell Them Who You Are

Mark Wexler’s cinematic blend of biography and autobiography centers on his relationship with his father, legendary cinematographer and filmmaker Haskell Wexler, whose long and illustrious career is a virtual catalogue of 20th century classics, including: WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, AMERICAN GRAFFITI, COMING HOME, BOUND FOR GLORY and ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Margaret: David:

Tell Them Who You Are

Review by Margaret Pomeranz

Very occasionally documentaries transcend their original intent and fortunately we’re seeing quite a number of them in our cinemas. The latest is TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE, a look at the career of famed American cinematographer Haskell Wexler.

But this is no simple bio-pic because it was made by Wexler’s son from the second of his three marriages, Mark. The movie becomes more of a father-son dynamic that is mesmerising to watch.

Haskell Wexler was born rich but embraced left-wing causes. He was arrogant, difficult, he was fired from ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST by director Milos Forman and producer Michael Douglas, but charismatic. His friend, cinematographer Conrad T Hall offers great insight into his character.

Ultimately in an incredibly moving scene Wexler confronts his past and this moment in the film is worth the price of admission. The film is almost a therapy session for Mark, the son, to emerge from his father’s domination.

TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE is a terrific documentary, made even more interesting for me by the fact that it is about someone legendary in cinema.

Further comments

MARGARET: David?

DAVID: Well, Haskell was certainly something of a legend. I mean, he was a great cinematographer, is a great cinematographer and he also directed a couple of very fine, very political films in MEDIUM COOL and LATINO.

MARGARET: But I think a very frustrated film-maker because he only made those two.

DAVID: Yes, possibly, but I think he's someone who always stood by his principles very strongly, and they were radical principles.

MARGARET: Oh, I think you get that very strongly from this film.

DAVID: Indeed, and that doesn't always go down very well. And I think, I'm not sure his son, Mark, was the best person to make this film because it's not that it has to be a tribute to Haskell but I think because father and son are so different, politically too, because the son is a supporter of the current president and obviously the father is against everything that George W. Bush stands for. So there's certainly a gulf between father and son on the political level not and also on the personal level.

MARGARET: There is, I mean, there is certainly a great deal of personal tension in this film and I don't think it shies away from it.

DAVID: No.

MARGARET: It's sort of like, I think this is a film that could only have been made by the son. And it, in a way, it's a wonderful tribute because it's honest.

DAVID: Yes, look, I don't think it. I would like to have seen somebody else, a third party, make a film about the father and son, and I think it would have been better because I think the son sometimes is trying to, in ways, put his father down in a way that I found disturbing. But on the other hand, there are some remarkable scenes in the film too and so I have very conflicted views of this film but basically, I don't think I like it very much. But I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and I'll give it 3 out of 5.